Your welcome...

John

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excellant thank you hun

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I've worked with skunks for a few years now, both intact and descented and have noticed absolutely no difference. i have also witnessed the descenting procedure first hand.... it is hardly invasive and causes little concern to the animal. and convalescing takes like maybe a week. during this time i noticed no real pain or discomfort suffered by the animals in question.

the spray that comes from a defensive skunk can and does in fact cause anaemia in some cases in Dogs and especially cats, and an unsuspecting dog that meant no harm could end up pretty damn ill if it decides to do the 'doggy handshake' ie - sniff its backside. not that the dog was predating upon the skunk in any way, merely curious. now i have 2 dogs and a skunk. the removal of my skunks scent gland was a necessary evil, and i can't deny it is far easier living with a doctored animal than it would be with an intact one. it is for my dogs protection mainly, in fact my skunk has grown up with my dogs and DOES in fact believe herself to be a dog, she has very few skunk mannerisms and has adopted many of the attributes and behaviours she has learned from being raised with dogs.

i have checked the cupboard under the stairs, under the bed, in the airing cupboard, the kitchen cupboards, and any other nooks and crannys..... and guess what? i can find no evidence of natural predators of skunks in my house ie mountain lions, great grey owls and bears. i thought i saw a mountain lion, but then i realised it was a feather duster. so its safe to say that my skunk in fact does not need a detterent when she has absoultely no fear of predation.

later.

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Brilliant!

John

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My skunk is de-scented, my future skunks will be de-scented, simply because they should have no reason to "need" their defence mechanism in my care.
Yes, mine has posed as it to spray me a couple of times now, but those times have been because of my own mistakes, supprising it whilst asleep etc.

The entire operation of de-scenting is quick, simple and relitivly risk free, it was not done to "accessorise" the animal, but reduce the social stigma that is attached to the word "Skunk".
I regularly take mine into town with me, and apart from people asking if it is a ferret (does it look like a ferret?) everyone assumes that it can spray... those who choose to believe that, I dont tell them otherwise, those who seem to not be bothered are welcome to pet her. I take her into town, again, not as an accessory, but because every time she has gone in, she has shown no signs of stress, she has been calm, happy to walk around and be handled, if she was in anyway bothered by it, she would go home ASAP.

What's more, and this is my big argument with all these threads about de-scenting.
What are you complaining about? It is illegal now, simple as that, so it's not like you complaining will get anymore done.

Oh, and for the record, of all the skunks I've seen for sale in the last 6 months, I'd say 99% were de-scented imports, so now it seems if you want one, you have a de-scented import, like it or not.

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Sorry to be dim,but what is the actual reason for it to be illegal in uk.

Hi ABB,

It was considered unethical by the RCVS, as well as classed as mutilation.

R

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It's an un-nessisary (sp) mutilation of an animal in the eyes of the law. Like docking a dogs tail, it serves no purpose on a domestic animal. They can however be removed if the removal is considered "essential for the well being and health of the animal" I.e prooven working stock dogs can have tails docked, and a skunk with a tumour on the sent gland(s) could have them removed because of that. If they are removed with out such a reason it is illegal

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~*~The Clan~*~0.1-Green Tree Python1.0-Emerald Tree Boa2.1-Reticulated Pythons1.1-Boa Constrictors18.32-Royal Pythons1.3-Corn Snakes0.1-Garter Snake0.1-Eggeater0.1-Bosc Monitor1.0-B&W Tegu0.0.1-Amazon Milk Frog0.2-Alaskan Malamutes0.1-GSD x Husky0.1-Siberian Husky3.5-Ferrets1.1-Skunks
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i dont think a skunk can ever be classed as an accessory as the amount of care and trouble they get in to anyone who gets one for an accessory wont last more than a week with it they dig out the trash get into cupboards raid fridges dont always use there toilet tray dig up the carpet when they want in a room dose this sound like a fashion accessory?
and if it wasent for the fact mine has been descent ed i would have been evicted from my house because most landlords wont allow full scented ones. p.s if you read on wikkapidia skunks at one point used to live in scotland wild before the fur trade and where wiped out and after where bred in captivity for there fur and when that was closed down a few where kept for the pet trade.

No, they shouldn't be de-scented, it's done for the humans benefit alone, therefore in my eyes it is 'cosmetic' surgery.

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